Impact
by AnimeFan202
Summary: How will the Curtis brothers' lives be impacted when social services calls? Not a depressing Pony gets taken away fic!  Sophia's Story! Second story in future generation series.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, my first try at an Outsiders story! SO... good luck to me. ^^'**

**Chapter One: We Need To Talk**

All the Curtis boys were at home and surprisingly enough, they were the only ones home.

But in a few seconds their live were going to change.

Then it happened. The phone rang.

It didn't seem so strange then. "Hello?" Darry answered. Then he stiffened a bit as he realized that it was social services on the other end.

He listened for a bit. At first he seemed confused, then his eyes widened slightly. But he regained his posture quickly because both his younger brothers were watching him closely.

"Of course!" he said quickly, and then the conversation was over.

He hung up as Pony asked, "What's up, Darry?"

"Come here, okay?" Both of his brothers sat on the couch with him. "Guys, we need to talk."

**Review please! Wow, two new stories up in one day! Okay, I've got big plans for this story and don't worry, it's not a super depressing, 'Pony and Soda get taken away' fic.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Allison Who?**

Darry was silent for a moment. Then, "Do you two remember Allison?"

"Who?"

Soda said quietly, "Allison was Darry's girlfriend four years ago."

"Oh... Oh! I remember her now."

And the image came back to all of them. Allison hadn't exactly been pretty. She'd been average if anything. Average height, average weight. She'd had hair almost as blond as Dally's and soft, green eyes. She and Darry had been very alike. They could both be very serious, but Allison's eyes could sparkle with laughter in seconds back then.

"Okay... good." Darry seemed to wince inwardly. "Do you two remember the last day she came over?"

"Yeah..."

"Uh-huh..."

That day Allison's eyes had held no sparkle. Thinking back on it now... her eyes held a lot of the guarded iciness that Darry's had held after their parents' wedding.

No one had heard their conversation, but after she left, Allison hadn't been seen around Tulsa ever since.

That was four years ago... why would Allison be calling now?

"Please don't tell me she's inviting you to her wedding," joked Sodapop.

Darry managed a weak smile. "No."

Darry looked at Soda for a minute then he said, equally as quiet, "Pepsi... do you remember the talk I gave you when Sandy left? The one before I found out that you weren't the father?"

Now it was Soda's turn to cringe. "Darry do we have to talk about this?"

"Yes, we do. That was social services on the other end."

Sodapop stiffened beside him. "Don't worry. It wasn't about Sandy and the baby."

"What did they want then?" asked Pony.

All three Curtis brothers seemed nervous now.

Darry took a deep breath. And then he took a few more. Finally, he decided to dive right into it. "Allison left because she was pregnant."

This was met by a shocked silence. Then, "Did I just hear what I thought I heard?"

They all turned to look at Two-bit who was leaning in through a window on their porch. Any other time he would've come right in, but who would miss a chance to eavesdrop on that?

Two-bit launched himself through the window and plopped down on the couch between Soda and Darry. Then, seeing the look on Darry's face, he got up and sat on the other side of Pony.

"Okay..." said Soda, clearly still not getting it. "So why did social services call?"

"Allison never wanted children. And I mean not even after being married and everything. Social services checked up on them and decided it wasn't the best home for the kid."

"So it ended up like Johnny's house?"

"Yeah... They wanted to know if I'd consider taking the child because it'll be removed from Allison's care."

**Review Please! **

**I know, it was still short. I don't own the Outsiders.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Sodapop's Words Of Wisdom**

"Well of course we'll take her!" burst out Soda, almost as soon as the words were out of Darry's mouth.

This outburst was met by silence from his older brother.

Pony watched silently what seemed to have become a yet-to-be-started argument. Which was astonishing in itself. Darry and Soda never argued over anything. Never. Two-bit had snuck back out to the porch unnoticed. Steve had arrived and Two-bit was keeping him outside for the moment, though they were both watching tensely through the window.

"Darry..." he said a bit weakly. "You can't really be thinking of sending the kid to some foster home. It's your son or daughter!"

"I just don't know, okay, Soda? I don't know what to do!"

"Don't know _what_?" Soda exploded

"Right now? Anything! I don't know what to think!" Darry was equally as loud. They had both stood up and were facing each other. "You don't get it, Soda."

Pony started. Darry's voice had taken on a desperate sound that he'd never heard in it before.

"The kid would be four now... and I don't even know if it's a son or a daughter..." Darry sank back down onto the couch.

Soda sat back down next to him. "It's never too late to start. Besides," Soda shuddered, "Imagine what's going to happen to him if we don't take her in."

"You just said him and her to describe the kid in the same sentence," pointed out Pony.

"Yeah, well, we don't know what it is yet, do we?" Soda got his grin back as Steve and Two-bit walked in now that the coast was clear.

Darry had gotten back up and dialed their social worker's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Felton."

"Oh! Hello, Darrel! Have you made up your mind?"

"Yes. We have."

...

The next day Mrs. Felton showed up at their doorstep.

Johnny had been told about the whole situation, but they hadn't seen Dallas until he arrived five minutes before Mrs. Felton did. Needless to say, no one had gotten a chance to explain things to him yet...

Darry met her at the door. They didn't say more than a few words. She just handed over the paperwork and left.

Darry sat down in his chair and opened the folder. Two-bit turned off the TV and everyone gathered around except Dally, who still wasn't aware of what was going on.

"Jeez, give me some room to breath." Everyone backed up but not much. Except for Johnny who got up and sat onto the couch next to Dally.

"What's the big deal?" Dally asked under his breath.

Johnny explained, equally as quiet. Dallas raised his eyebrows once or twice during Johnny's short explanation but showed no more emotion than that.

Once Darry had finished looking the papers over he handed them to Soda who everyone else crowded around.

Darry went into the kitchen with the forms he had to fill out. This would be an added difficulty, but he couldn't help the grin that had worked it's way across his face.

His daughter's name was Sophia Rosalind Curtis. She was born on February twenty-first. There was no picture attached, but he'd gotten all the information he needed for the moment.

**I know, I know, it was STILL short.**

**It should get longer once Sophia gets introduced into the story which should be... next chapter!**

**I don't own The Outsiders! Review Please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Anticipation**

Pony looked around at the gang. They were in the living room, but no one was doing much of anything besides taking up space.

Today was the day. Sophia was coming home today.

It was a huge occasion, but excited wasn't exactly the right word to describe the gang at the moment.

Darry kept up an effort of trying to calm himself down, but it wasn't helping. He would go and look at the documents on their kitchen table, then go back to his room as if to look for something. Pony wouldn't be surprised if there was a path worked into the floor before she came.

Soda had run around the house more than once and Steve had complained that they didn't have work today.

"At least then we'd be doing something," he griped.

"You'd rather be locked up in the shop all day with him?" Two-bit asked, pointing to Soda who was now following Darry around. It was sort of humorous, but Darry was already deeply annoyed and didn't need Soda pushing his buttons.

Two-bit sat back on the couch with a grin, beer in hand. "Well, to each his own I guess."

Steve quickly saw his point. Soda was like a firecracker just waiting to be lit today.

Johnny got up and looked out the window, but the street was still empty. "I still can't believe Darry has a daughter."

His voice was quiet, but since the rest of the greasers were silent they all heard him.

"I still can't believe Darry managed to get laid," Dally quipped.

This earned a loud laugh from Soda and an "I heard that!" from a very agitated Darry. There were a few chuckles. Two-bit and Soda laughed loudest though.

Pony noticed that Two-bit seemed the most relaxed. This wouldn't be much of a new thing to him. He had a kid sister at home that he took care of. The only other girl they'd ever had around the house besides the occasional visiting cousin had been Mrs. Curtis. And even Mrs. Curtis hadn't been above going out in the mud to run around with the boys. This was going to be a completely new experience to everyone else.

Johnny sucked in his breath and that was basically the signal for: she has arrived.

As if someone flicked a switch, the tension returned.

Darry and Soda came rushing into the room.

The three Curtis boys went out to the porch. Everyone else hung back a little, watching through the window.

The black car was fancier than what you usually saw around the neighborhood. The lady who stepped out of the driver's side wasn't Mrs. Felton and she was obviously used to better surroundings. She looked distastefully at the house and down the rest of the street, but no one was paying attention to her.

The boys were all watching the back doors. One of them opened slowly and a little four-year-old girl got out. Sophia.

She was wearing beat up sneakers that had most likely been some shade of white at one time. Her jeans seemed a bit big on her and she stood on the end of each pants leg, but they stayed on her hips.

The only thing at all feminine about her clothing was the faded daisy on her old white tee-shirt. Just the way she was dressed showed promise of her fitting in better and learning to live more quickly with a crowd of boys. For example, it wouldn't have seemed too promising if she'd shown up in a dress. Sophia seemed used to playing around in the dirt. Probably alone too from what the legal documents had said about her background.

Sophia's blond hair tumbled over her shoulders, but didn't go much further. Pony had just started genes in science and was analyzing which family she took after. Sophia could've gotten her blond hair from Allison, but Soda's hair was blond too... so there was the blond gene somewhere in the Curtis family.

It was obvious where she got her eyes from. She and Darry's eyes had been chipped from the same pale blue-green iceberg, but there was nothing cold about them.

Sophia's expression was more or less blank, but her eyes colored her curious.

Darry took a deep breath as he got ready to take his first step and officially meet his daughter for the first time.

**Review please!**

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! And it was sorta short again...**

**I don't own the Outsiders. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!**

**If any of you get a chance I found another daughter/Darry story called Forever My Daughter. Get a chance to check it out if you can! It's really good!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Darry walked up to the two while his brothers stayed on the porch. He nodded once to the lady who'd brought his daughter to him.

Somehow, the look on her face wasn't making him feel much gratitude. She handed him the papers with the remaining information he'd need without a word and then left. Just like that...

Darry squatted down to his daughter's height. She didn't seem to see him at first. Sophia was looking at her surroundings. Then she noticed him. "Hi."

"Hello," She responded.

What now? Darry wondered. He was her father, it shouldn't feel like he should shake her hand, right?

She continued to look at him for a little while then turned her attention back to Soda and Ponyboy as Darry picked up her suitcase.

He smiled down at her. "Ready?" She gave him a determined nod.

From the porch Soda smiled. He'd the seen the fire in Sophia's eyes before in someone else's eyes...

Sophia was introduced to her uncles right there on the porch and she greeted both of them politely.

_Not too surprising, _Soda thought. After all, Sophia couldn't have been expected to have any love towards them after just meeting them.

Sophia had smiled at their names, but was quickly distracted when she saw the other four in the window.

Darry wasn't worried about Johnny, but he wasn't exactly thrilled to be introducing Sophia to the rest of the gang so early.

They walked in. Darry noticed that Sophia was the first to enter. She'd turned the doorknob and walked in as if she'd lived there her whole life without even being asked too. Perhaps it was a good thing. She didn't seem to be very shy, just quiet.

Darry set down her suitcase on the side of the house. "Sophia, this is Two-bit," she smiled once again at the name "Steve, Johnny, and Dally."

Two-bit, Steve, and even Johnny managed a hello. But Sophia's attention went to Dally, who was simply watching her.

_Uh-oh_, thought Darry,_ it's starting already..._

Finally Dally said, "Hey, kid." Despite how he usually listened to the no-smoking-in-the-house rule, Dally's cigarette was lit. Before Sophia could respond he blew a mouthful of smoke into her face.

She crinkled up her nose. The rest of the gang seemed to pause in their breathing. They were watching to see what Darry would do. But before Darry could make his first big scene in front of his daughter, Sophia rewarded Dally with a vicious glare.

Darry sighed; he would leave it as that until later. "Soda, why don't you show Sophia her room?"

Soda seemed thrilled. "Sure."

Dally, who'd been slightly amused at Sophia's actions, watched as the little girl got her suitcase herself and followed Soda out of the room.

"This is it," Soda announced. They'd tried to clean it up, but hadn't gotten much done on such short notice. There was still the miscellaneous item lying here and there, but Sophia didn't seem to mind.

She dropped her suitcase on the floor and climbed up onto the bed. She tucked her knees underneath her and commenced staring at the wall.

Soda wondered if this was what she did at home. Just for the sake of conversation he said, "Sorry about the mess." She shrugged.

"Does anyone ever call you Sophie?"

"No."

"Would it bother you if I did?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Soda watched her for a little while. She paid him no attention. He couldn't tell whether she was deep into thought or just blocking everything out.

After a little while he sighed and left.

Life went on as it always had for the rest of the night. Besides the fact that Darry's _daughter _was just a room away. The thought was almost unfathomable, but no one doubted it.

Sophia didn't come out for the rest of the night, an hour after Darry had called her for dinner he got up to check on her. Sophia had fallen asleep with her clothes on over the covers. But that wasn't anything to worry about. It didn't get that cold, even around this time of year.

Darry stayed up later than anyone. He hadn't said why, but he was waiting for a phone call. In the files had been a small handwritten note claiming that Allison wanted to speak with him.

Finally, around midnight, the phone rang. He snatched it mid-ring.

He glanced over to the couch and saw that it was all clear. Johnny was the lightest sleeper and if he was still asleep he should be fine privacy wise.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Darrel." Allison's silky voice floated through the phone.

Cutting to the point Darry said, "Can I help you? I can't imagine what we have to talk about."

"Can't you? Is Sophia awake?" he voice was irritated.

"What do you think? It's midnight. Why do you even care?"

"I cared." Allison's voice was highly offended.

"Not enough to keep her."

"You have no idea how _hard _it was, Darrel. That child of yours was no angel."

Darry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Allison had been ambitious, but most of her plans were nothing more than pipe dreams. A child wasn't _supposed_ to be easy to take care of. But Sophia didn't look like she could cause much trouble. Darry suspected Allison had just gotten frustrated with the idea of being a teenage mother.

"Kids take time and tolerance, Allison." He noticed how this time around it was Allison and Darrel rather than Ally and Darry. _Oh well, all the better, I suppose._

"Because you have so much tolerance," she retorted sarcastically. Darry could see where this was going, but arguing was something he'd always been good at. Especially when he knew he was right.

"More than you apparently. To think that at one point I'd expected to see you with a husband and a house full of kids one day."

"Oh? And why did you think that would happen?"

"Because I expected to be that man," he said quietly. Remembering it all he couldn't believe that he'd forgotten how much heartbreak Allison had caused.

Allison's voice was filled with pain. "You didn't want to be that man," she said. "You didn't even have the courage to tell your parents that you'd knocked up your girlfriend."

Darry winced at the internal pain. He'd been sixteen! He hadn't been ready to take care of a kid yet! He'd still been a kid himself. But no matter what excuse he came up with, he knew it made no difference. He shouldn't have let her go.

"And you know what?" she finished. "Taking her in now won't fix anything."

With that out, the line went dead.

**Please Review! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I'm really proud of this chapter! **

**I don't own the Outsiders.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Darry sighed, put his head in his hands, and resisted slamming down the phone onto it's cradle.

"Darry? You okay?"

Darry spun around and saw Johnny sitting up on the couch, watching him closely. Darry immediately felt guilty. Johnny looked ready to bolt any second now.

He'd have to watch his temper more closely from now on. Her background papers hadn't been very detailed, but it had hinted at Sophia's home life being very similar to Johnny's.

Darry tried to clear his head and bring his thoughts back to the present. "Uh, yeah. Sorry. Did I wake you?"

Darry was sure Johnny hadn't been awake when the phone had first rung, but he didn't push it. Johnny was usually pretty good about holding up strong, but the gang had all learned at one point or another that if you push something broken too hard, it crumbles into itself.

Darry wasn't sure what else to say so he just nodded once and went to his room.

When he laid down, he thought it would take a while for him to fall asleep, but it wasn't long before he felt his eyelids drooping.

...

Darry woke up a few hours later. His clock read 4:26.

Any other day Darry would've rolled over and tried to get as much more sleep as he could before having to wake up for work. But he didn't have work today and he wanted to figure out what had woken him.

It didn't take him long.

Resting beside his arm was his daughter's head. She had hoisted half of her body up onto the bed. From waist down she dangled off. She had her head resting on her arms and was fast asleep.

Darry's mouth formed and O. he wondered how long she'd been there. Had she even attempted to wake him?

Probably not.

Darry tried to get up with the least amount of movement possible. He eased himself off the bed and picked her up. She was incredibly light. He laid her down on the bed and, as gently as possible, placed a kiss one her forehead. Still she did not wake.

Darry stretched and decided now was as good a time as any to get up. He took his time with his shower knowing that he didn't need to start breakfast for another hour or so.

But to his surprise he found Pony sitting at the kitchen table, just staring into space. "You're up already?"

Pony nodded.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope."

"Nightmare?" Darry hated the wince in his tone.

"Nuh-uh. I just... couldn't sleep and didn't want to wake up Soda."

Darry also hated the relief that came after. As much as he tried to tell himself that it was no big deal, he knew it _was_ a big deal and though he didn't want to admit it and would never show it in front of his brothers, it scared him to death.

He nodded and dropped his pajamas onto the floor of his bedroom. He was usually very organized, but he could always pick them up later.

"Want to help with breakfast?" he asked when he came back out.

Pony smiled and got up which Darry took for a yes. "Not really, but I will."

They were originally just going to make eggs and toast, but Pony suggested they do French toast instead. Since they usually didn't have time in the morning Darry agreed.

When they were finally done, Soda emerged from his and Pony's room. He yawned and looked at the food.

"Hi, Pony. Morning, Darry."

"Hey, little buddy. You're up early." It was true. Even though Pony and Darry had had to start over quite a few times to get their breakfast just right, it was still early for Soda to be up and about.

He just shrugged, sat down, and helped himself to breakfast.

About a minute after they all sat down Johnny came out. Steve stormed in about a minute later, grumbling about something or other.

The gang had their own, unofficial schedule and so far it was all going as it usually did. Dally and Two-bit were nowhere to be found, but that wasn't all that unusual. Sometimes Two-bit had breakfast with his mom and sister and Dallas had his own agenda.

After about three bites Darry got up and went to his room.

He found Sophia sitting up in bed staring at the wall; just as Soda had found her before she'd fallen asleep the night before.

Neither of them said a thing about her waking up in his room. Darry just asked, "Would you like some breakfast?"

She hopped off the bed and hurried over to him. The two walked side by side to the kitchen.

Sophia sat down and had exactly one piece of French toast. Everyone else in the gang had three or four at least. Everyone finished at about the same time.

Sophia copied everyone else and put her plate, fork, and knife in the sink, though she had to stand on her tiptoes to do it. Darry smiled at the sight.

She had yet to say a word all morning. Darry continued to watch his daughter. She also had yet to just stand around unsure of what to do like he thought she would. He couldn't tell if this was because she was making herself at home here or because she wasn't sure how long she was staying.

Sophia went back into Darry's bedroom. She came out clutching one of his pillows to her chest and headed into her own room. She reappeared a minute later with one of her own pillows and went back to Darry's room. Darry could guess what she'd done when she came back without it.

Sophia had moved like she had a mission, but she hadn't exactly been discreet with what she'd been doing.

Not that Darry cared. A pillow was a pillow to him. Besides, Soda had been weird like that too.

Once when they were younger, a very ticked off mailman had come and told him off while he'd hidden behind his mother's legs. Soda had spent a week and a half making sure the little flag on their mailbox was sticking up at all times just because "the mailbox looked sad when the flag was down."

Darry had always found this strange because Soda had never been and still wasn't particularly picky, but some little things drove him crazy. Pony told him that ever since he and Soda started sleeping in the same bed, Pony had had to stay on the side closest to the door just because Soda couldn't sleep if he was near the door.

Pony of course was too grateful to mind, but the two of them had observed Soda closely for a while and still were unable to figure out what it was about the little things that sometimes got under their brother's skin.

Darry figured it was just one of those times.

But what he didn't understand was how Sophia knew it was okay. They hadn't exactly had much quality time yet... but so far, Sophia had been so careful, judging every move she made.

"You should get ready." he told her. She was the only one still in her pajamas. "We have a long day ahead of us."

"Okay." The first thing she'd said all morning...

**Review Please!**

**I know I haven't updated in forever... so... sorry. I hope this is good enough to make up for it. **

**The reviews really are appreciated and I've got the next chapter all planned out... I just need to get around to typing it.**

**I don't own the Outsiders.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The first place Darry took Sophia was the walk-in center. She needed a physical before he could enroll her in school.

There were quite a few other children, along with their harried mothers, in the waiting room with them.

Some of them played with the old beat up toys the waiting room offered, others were with their parents. Those few never shut up. They continued on and on and on about nothing in particular. And there were two who'd thrown a fit before they'd even caught sight of the doctor, a spectacle for everyone else to see.

To be honest, it annoyed Darry. He immediately felt guilty seeing as he now had a child of his own, but Sophia was perfect, to say the least. She was an angel compared to some of the other children in the room. She sat beside him quietly, swinging her feet back and forth occasionally, but mostly just watching the movie that the receptionists had put on. She was possibly the ONLY child watching it.

Soda had been one of the kids who never shut up. And if their parents weren't around he would chatter on and on to Darry about everything.

Darry had had much more patience with his little brother than he did with these strangers.

Before he had time to dwell on this any longer a nurse opened the door and called for them.

Darry and Sophia got up and followed her into the hallway. Sophia looked into each room as they passed, but they all looked the same. Their room was at the very end of the hall.

The nurse left them alone with a "The doctor will be right with you."

There was a Where's Waldo? picture on the wall. It was enough to make anyone's head spin.

Darry sat down in a chair. Sophia got out a box of crayons from under the examination table, but after looking through the coloring books she apparently decided that she didn't want to color after all and put everything back.

She glanced between the examination table and her father a few times before he noticed.

"Want to get up there?"

She smiled and nodded.

Darry got up from his chair, picked her up with ease and set her down on the table. She sat and played with the paper covering it for a few minutes before the doctor came in.

Darry shook her hand.

"Darrel Curtis."

"Dr. Franklin. Nice to meet you." She turned to his daughter who was now staring at her intently. "And you must be Sophia."

Sophia nodded a bit stiffly. She didn't seemed to pleased. Darry wasn't surprised. If he was a previously neglected four-year-old he didn't think he'd be too eager to be poked and prodded by a strange woman.

Dr. Franklin weighed her and had Sophia stand up against the wall chart to take her height measurements.

Sophia squirmed away at first when Dr. Franklin listened to her heart beat and checked her throat and nose, but it was all over quickly.

"Okay," Dr. Franklin said when she put down her notes "One thing left. Shots and the dreaded finger prick."

Darry wondered why the hell she was saying all this in front of a four-year-old who he doubted had been taken to a doctor's office in the last three years at least. After all, they made sure mother's took infants for check-ups, right? He hoped so.

"Dad, you want her on your lap?"

Darry wasn't sure at first, but Sophia crawled over and plopped herself down.

"Okay." said Dr. Franklin as she came over with the needle. "Which arm?"

Sophia immediately shrank back. Darry silently coaxed her a bit closer and told the doctor to do everything concerning a needle in the left arm because Sophia was right-handed.

He only knew this because Soda had tried to start up a conversation before he and Steve left for work and that was all he had managed to get out of her.

Sophia was silent through the finger prick, though she let out a tiny squeak when Dr. Franklin pierced her skin for the shot.

The doctor took away her blood to be analyzed cheerily and that was when Darry noticed that his daughter was white and shaking.

He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her protectively. There was yet to be a Curtis who didn't hate needles.

"Hey." he said softly. "You're okay. It's over."

She didn't cry, but she turned and buried her face in his shirt. Darry figured this would be the closest thing he got to a hug in a while.

She crawled back onto the examination table when the doctor came back.

"You're all set. The tests came back just fine." She handed Sophia a pink sticker with a unicorn on it. "That's for being such a brave patient."

She turned around, but Sophia gave her a look that clearly said: You're kidding right? I get a _sticker?_

Darry grinned and had to remind himself not to laugh. Even little kids could tell when they were being cheated.

Darry brought Sophia home after their doctor's visit. They weren't scheduled to enroll her in the school until that afternoon.

Soda was home, off on his lunch break. He gave Sophia a high five, which she surprisingly returned before she retreated to her room.

"Hey."

"Hey. How was it?"

"Pretty good, I guess."

Soda grinned and Darry inwardly shuddered as he thought of the doctor. "Told you you'd be a good dad."

"Kind of hard to tell so early."

He turned around and Soda laughed.

"What?"

Soda went around to his back, and took off a pink unicorn sticker.

**Review please!**

**I don't own the Outsiders!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Planning**

Soda couldn't have left Darry alone for five minutes before the silence started to get to him. Darry glanced at the clock.

It was 11:45, still kind of early, but late enough to use lunch as an excuse to do something.

He found Sophia in her room. She was rearranging the few things she'd brought with her to her home. She didn't have all that much, but it would do.

"Hey." Darry said, leaning into the room with one arm on the doorway, just like he'd done a million times when he was talking to one of his brothers when they were in their room. But it was somehow different this time.

Sophia looked up, surprised that her father had come looking for her. She'd frozen and still had one of her shirts fisted into her hand.

"Any ideas for lunch?"

Sophia was silent for a minute. Then she said, "Peanut butter and jelly?"

Darry nodded and got ready to go search their kitchen.

"Please." she added hurriedly.

Darry smiled and left. Sophia stared after him for a minute, then slowly dropped her shirt onto her bed and followed after him.

Darry had plopped the bread onto the table. Because of Sodapop, they had plenty of jelly, but Darry wasn't so sure about their supply of peanut butter. Nobody really ate peanut butter in their house.

Darry turned around and saw his daughter watching him. "We might not have any peanut butter." he told her.

"That's okay. I don't really like peanut butter."

"Then why'd you ask for it?" Darry asked, puzzled.

She shrugged. Darry thought that would be the end of it, but then she added, "That's what Mama always made."

Now it was Darry that froze, but only for a moment. Considering that Sophia had had to be removed from the household, Darry didn't think that the bond between Sophia and her mother could be that strong. But Allison was the only family that Sophia had known for four years. That was a connection.

Darry could've expected this, but the realization stung all the same.

Peanut butter and jelly was easy to make so, if Darry remembered Allison as well as he thought he did, he was sure Sophia had it for lunch a lot. It would probably be a good thing to mix things up a bit.

"Want grilled cheese instead?"

Sophia beamed and Darry set to work.

After lunch Darry drove Sophia to the elementary school. The plan was to get Sophia enrolled and then watch Pony's track practice.

They walked through the door labeled **Main Office **and found a very calm room. There were a few chairs against the wall by the door with a coffee table in the middle of them. Stacked on the table were picture books. It was surprisingly calm.

One of the secretaries looked up as Darry approached. Her glasses were so far down her nose they looked to be in danger of falling right off her face at any second. Sophia had sat down in one of the chairs close to the little table and had preoccupied herself with one of the books.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes. My name is Darrel Curtis."

"Oh! The principal told us we'd be expecting an late sign-up." Darry nodded. The lady took out a folder from one of the many drawers on her desk and skimmed through the contents.

"What's that?" Darry asked, confused.

"Oh, we actually already have all the information we need. It was sent to us ahead of time."

Darry raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean we're all set?" This was quicker than he'd expected it to be. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his daughter peek up from the book she was looking at.

"Not quite." Sophia's head ducked back down, but it was obvious she was still listening. The secretary leaned in a bit closer and lowered her voice. "Because of Sophia's... situation, the principal would like to speak to you."

Darry's face hardened a bit, but he nodded. He walked through the door behind the secretary's desk.

The change was startling. Unlike the ugly tan walls of the main office, Principal Wilder's office was a shocking egg shell white.

The principal was a stout man. He sat behind another wooden desk and when he glanced up he smiled widely. "Please. Close the door."

Darry did so and sat down across from him. Principal Wilder just looked at him for a moment, then said, "Darrel Curtis. You still hold the title of being the only six year old capable of climbing the gym's ropes using only your hands."

Now Darry smiled. Principal Wilder was known for his astounding memory, and probably could've achieved more working in a junior high or high school.

"I hear you've gone onto bigger and better things."

Darry shrugged.

"Oh come now," the principal chided. "Don't be modest. I've seen your middle school and high school records. I read the article in the paper a while back about all you've done for your brothers since the passing of your parents. Dreadfully sorry to hear about that, by the way. It was a tragic accident."

Darry winced. They tried to put all that out of their minds.

"And," continued the principal "you've got a beautiful daughter."

Darry smiled slightly at this. To be honest, Principal Wilder's speech had made him a little uncomfortable. He was used to being liked by his teachers and coaches, but it was hard to see people like Principal Wilder.

His teachers and coaches had expected a lot from him and he knew he'd disappointed them by not going to college. He didn't regret for one second the choice to take his brothers in; it was just that all those people who'd expected so much didn't understand.

He wasn't sure what was worse. Seeing all the people who'd had those high expectation and feeling like he'd let them down, or seeing people like Principal Wilder who were still so proud of him that he felt like he didn't deserve it.

"Thank you, Sir. I don't mean to sound rude, but why did you need to talk to me?"

"Well, Darrel, it's about Sophia's background. It's absolutely wonderful that you've gotten custody, but the past cannot be erased. Nor can it be ignored. I was wondering if maybe you'd think it would be helpful to have Sophia see a school guidance counselor a few times a week."

Darry was quiet for a moment. If Sophia couldn't talk to the gang then Darry highly doubted she'd talk to a stranger. Besides, he could see already that she and Soda were getting close. "I really don't think that'll be necessary."

The principal looked worried. "Are you sure Darrel? Because-"

"We're doing just fine, but thanks. In fact, I think that may just be an added stress."

"Well, if you say so..."

Darry was not going to change his mind. The two rose from their seats and shook hands.

Right before Darry was about to walk out Principal Wilder stopped him. "Darrel, I'm sure you only have Sophia's best interests at heart, but keep in mind: it's alright to ask for help."

"Thanks." Darry said a bit stiffly. His tone was just begging to get out of there. "I'll keep it in mind."

Darry walked out before Principal Wilder could say anything else. He walked over to Sophia who'd put down her book and had opted for watching the secretary work. "Ready to go?"

She looked up at him and nodded, getting out of her chair. She took his hand as they walked out of the office.

Normally, Darry would've liked the gesture, but right then his mind was on Principal Wilder. Principal Wilder only had the best intentions, but Darry couldn't shake the thought that he had no idea what he was talking about.

It's too bad Darry didn't Sophia's gesture as the apology that it was. Sophia was looking up at him with worried eyes. She'd become great at reading people. Her father was way more tense than he'd been when they'd come into the office. She wasn't sure what she'd done wrong, but Sophia sure was sorry.

...

Later that night, the gang was all around. Darry was sitting in the living room with them.

"Don't sweat it Darry." said Two-bit. "I can pick her up during lunch and bring her here and we'll just hang out 'till you get home."

Darry knew this was a good idea, but he couldn't help feeling just a bit guilty. "Do you plan on staying in high school forever, Two-bit?"

"Aw, come on." Two-bit said. "I ain't gonna pass this year anywhere. Like I said, don't worry. "

"I guess I could baby sit some days." The rest of the gang looked up in surprise. Dallas was the last one they'd expected to suggest this.

"You?" said Pony incredulously. But the laughter died in his throat at the look Dally gave him.

This seemed to make Darry even more worried. He wasn't sure he even wanted to consider this option.

The look Dallas gave Pony didn't stop Two-bit from laughing. "You gotta be kidding Dal!" he hooted. "You do know there's more to babysittin' than just meetin' her outside so the bus driver thinks someone's with her then taking off."

Dallas's look was not at all friendly. "Whatever." he said, addressing Darry. "I just thought you'd rather have me stay with the brat than this clown."

"I'm sure he'd rather have a clown than a convict!" said Two-bit. This started a brief scuffle in which Dally soon had Two-bit very forcefully pinned down and was hissing something in his ear.

Darry sighed.

"Chill, Superman." spoke up Steve.

Tomorrow's schedule was soon figured out. Two-bit would pick up Sophia after school. This would alternate between Soda coming to get her during his lunch break so she could hang out with him at the DX after school. Darry was even willing to have Dally stay with her a few times, but Dallas told him to forget it.

Johnny and Pony had left the room shortly after Two-bit and Dally's wrestling match. Darry rose with the intent to find them and ask Johnny if he was staying the night.

Darry expected to end up in Pony's room, but he heard voices coming from Sophia's room before he got there.

"No kidding." he heard Johnny sigh. From his tone of voice, Darry gathered that whatever they were talking about, it wasn't the happiest conversation.

"'Night." he heard Pony and Johnny say.

This was answered by a faint, "Goodnight." from his daughter.

The two boys turned off the light and stepped out of her room.

"Oh, hey Darry." said Pony. Johnny ducked his head a bit as if he'd just been caught doing something wrong.

"Hey. You should probably get to bed soon too. You've got school tomorrow."

"Okay." his younger brother said a bit grudgingly. "You staying tonight, Johnnycake?" he asked his friend.

"Yeah." he looked at Darry a bit sheepishly. "If it's alright."

"Of course it is." said Darry with a nod.

"Thanks." Johnny said softly as he eased himself past Darry and down the hallway back towards the living room.

"What was going on?" Darry asked once it was just him and Pony.

Pony took a glance at Sophia's dark room and Darry followed him down the hallway to his room. "We were just talking is all." said Pony as he took off his shirt and jeans and slid into bed.

"Yeah, I got that. But what about?"

Pony sighed as if wondering how to phrase it. "Sophia said that her mother came home drunk a lot."

Darry had worried about this. No wonder Johnny could relate to her so well. This news was unsettling, but hope lay underneath it.

Perhaps it wouldn't be Soda after all who Sophia opened up to.

**Review please! **

**In case anyone wants a fun fact, it was originally going to be Steve and Soda who were talking to Sophia, but Johnny and Pony just fit better.**

**I don't own the Outsiders! **

**Please review! I'm pretty sure this is my longest chapter so far! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**ANNOUNCEMENT! Okay, so before I start chapter nine I have an announcement. (Obvious enough, right?) In this whole future generation series each character will probably get their own story. Not each child! Golly, I'm not that creative. But I have the first chapter to Sodapop's story up. And, by the way my inspiration has been going, the second chapter may or may not be up before I post this.**

**Chapter Nine: New Routines**

The very next day Sophia started Kindergarten. Sodapop saw her off the bus with a smile and a wave, plus a big hug before she raced out the door.

She sat down in an empty seat near the front of the bus and stared out the window until her new home was out of sight, along with Sodapop's smiling face.

She set her new pink backpack on her lap at the next stop, but it was mostly older kids and no one sat next to her. She and Darry had gone to the store the night before to get her a backpack. He'd also gotten her some new crayons and glue sticks even though he was pretty sure they'd be given out at school.

There were a few more stops as they got closer to the elementary school. Sophia was still sitting alone. She hadn't put much thought to it when everyone was talking about it last night, but she suddenly wished that Ponyboy hadn't gotten moved up a grade. He would sit with her. There was talk about making the middle schoolers riding with the high schoolers, but right now the eighth graders were sitting in the back of the bus.

Then, close to the end, one little girl got on after a group of older kids. The girl had dark skin and her dark hair was braided. She had a bunch of rainbow colored beads on the end of each one. Her backpack was dark purple. She was looking around for a place to sit and Sophia scooted a bit closer to the window.

"Hurry up!" the bus driver barked. From what Sophia could tell he was old and grumpy. None too thin either. The girl, who was still in the aisle jumped a bit and quickly slid into the seat next to Sophia. Some of the students in the back had looked up at the delay, but their loud, obnoxious chatter continued when the bus began rolling once more.

The girl looked at her and Sophia quickly averted her gaze.

"I'm Tasha," she finally said softly.

Sophia turned her head back. At least now it wasn't like she was staring at her. "Sophia." she said, just as quietly. It was a wonder that the two could hear each other at all over the loud noises that accompanied a bus.

Not knowing what else to do, Sophia stuck out her hand for Tasha to shake. Tasha giggled but shook her hand. The nervousness abandoned for the time, Sophia smiled and soon both girls were giggling.

The nervousness returned as soon as the bus pulled up to the school. Sophia felt her heart flutter, but Tasha smiled reassuringly at her and Sophia followed her off the bus. They were the last ones off to avoid any shoving.

Out on the grass were the kindergarten teachers. They had all the kindergarteners line up outside with their teachers so they wouldn't get lost and they wouldn't have to deal with any rough-housing.

The teachers were already taking attendance when the two girls reached the front lawn.

"Sophia Curtis?" One of them called out.

Sophia raised her hand and her teacher spotted her. Her teacher's hair was honey blond and she had the kindest eyes Sophia had ever seen. They even rivaled Sodapop's. Her teacher smiled and checked off her name.

It turned out that Tasha was in the same class! Not only that, but their desks were right next to each other!

Sophia hadn't gone to preschool, but she soon learned that she loved Kindergarten! They worked on making their letters in the beginning, which Sophia wasn't too good at. But Tasha's grandmother was a retired teacher so she'd had lots of practice. She helped Sophia.

Next they worked on numbers and then they had snack. Tasha and Sophia shared theirs. Tasha had brought oranges. Sodapop had put jelly on a few crackers before school and put a juice box into a little paper bag for her. It did look sort of disgusting, but it was surprisingly good.

They all sat on a rug afterwards and had story time, but Sophia's favorite part of the day was right before it was time to go home and they got to finger-paint.

Sophia painted the old white house she now lived in. There were a bunch of stick people on the front porch. Her daddy would love it. They might not have been too close yet, but she was sure of that.

The people who didn't ride the bus home had to go to the cafeteria so someone could sign in and pick them up. Tasha rode the bus home, but today Sophia was getting picked up by Two-bit.

She sat on one of the benches that was attached to the tables in the cafeteria that she wouldn't get to eat at until first grade. She was tracing some of the graffiti with her pinky when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Two-bit was smiling down at her. She got up, her backpack on her shoulders and the two went out to his car in the parking lot.

"May I get your bag, Madame?" he asked with a slight bow and a fake French accent.

Sophia giggled and handed it over. She did a fake curtsy, which Two-bit laughed at, and then got into the backseat.

"How was your day, kid?"

"Good. We got to finger-paint." She held up her painting.

Two-bit glanced back at it. "Sounds real tuff." he said. Sophia just smiled. They were soon at the house.

The rest of the afternoon was relaxing even though most of the time Sophia was laughing so hard she could barely breath. Two-bit was very entertaining!

She was asked about five more times how her day was and her "Good" was about as rehearsed as it could be.

The dinner table was filled once more. Sophia was secretly pleased and she hoped it was always like this. She liked the crowd of mostly friendly faces.

But she was in for a bit of shock. In the brief silence her father asked, "You know your bus number, right?"

Sophia nodded. "Seven." she supplied.

Darry nodded. "Good. Dallas is going to stay with you tomorrow so ride the bus home."

Sophia looked up in surprise with wide eyes. She had been sure that everyone had been kidding about Dallas watching her.

Sodapop was watching for her expression closely. Sophia quickly looked down at her dinner plate in case Dally was watching as well.

The next day was just as wonderful as the first. It was nice having a friend like Tasha. Sophia had never really had a friend before.

Sophia didn't remember that Dally would be staying with her until she boarded the bus with Tasha that afternoon.

When she was about to get off the bus driver stopped her. Dallas was sitting on the porch. Out of the corner of her eye Sophia saw him raise an eyebrow as the bus driver stopped her from getting off.

"You know him?" he was quiet now, suspicious.

Sophia nodded. "That's Dally."

The bus driver laughed bitterly. "Oh, I know who he is, believe me. Him and his buddy, Tim Shepard thought it would be funny to break into my house one night."

Sophia didn't know him too well yet, but she wouldn't put it past him.

"Would he ever hurt you?"

Sophia's memory involuntarily flashed to the first night they'd met when he'd blown smoke into her face. She shook her head. "Never." her voice was quiet but firm.

The bus driver harrumphed doubtfully. "Tell him I wish to speak with him."

Sophia nodded and scurried down the steps.

Dallas just looked at her. She pointed to the big yellow bus. "He wants to talk to you." she said quietly.

"Why?"

Sophia shrugged.

Dally smirked and walked up to the bus. The driver shouted something at him. Dally just flipped him off and walked away. The driver's stream of curses was cut off when the door shut and the bus drove away.

Dallas came back to the porch and lit a cigarette. "God, I hate bad-tempered people."

Sophia began laughing before she could stop herself. Dallas just looked at her for a moment, but then he smiled.

**Review please!**

**I don't own the Outsiders. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Staying with Dally after school was definitely different than staying with Two-bit. Sophia couldn't be completely sure yet, but she was pretty sure she preferred the latter option.

Dallas didn't try to entertain her. The two of them pretty much did their own thing. They could've been alone in the house considering how much they interacted.

Not that Dally proved Two-bit right. He didn't take off as soon as the bus was out of sight, though Sophia wasn't totally sure he didn't want to.

If Dally noticed that she was watching him he didn't acknowledge it. Sophia stared at him openly for the first few minutes. Then, slowly, she turned her head to stare out the window.

...

Darry slammed the driver's side door of the truck when he reached the DX to pick up Sodapop. His shift had ended roughly five minutes ago, so right about now he and Steve would be closing up the shop.

Steve came out first. "Hey, Superman." he greeted.

"Hey." Darry nodded to him. "Where's Sodapop."

Steve all but groaned. "In the back with the new kid."

"Oh yeah... Soda was talking about him the other night. What's his name... Justin?"

"Yeah. He's sixteen. Just started 'bout a week ago. Just knocked over one of the tool boxes and now Soda's helping him pick up shop." Steve rolled his eyes. "He should do it himself. I swear, Sodapop's too nice sometimes."

Personally Darry agreed, but it was one of Soda's best traits. Darry moved away from the car and headed around back.

One of the first things that he noticed was that Soda and Justin weren't alone. There was a girl in the back with them.

At first Darry figured this must be why Sodapop had stayed behind to help out Justin, but upon closer inspection he noted that the girl was definitely older than Soda. Normally, this wouldn't be such a bad thing, but Soda would see it differently.

Soda, a bit surprisingly, limited himself a bit. He called it one of the drawbacks to being the middle brother. He wouldn't date girls Pony's age or Darry's age. It would just be sort of awkward.

Darry guessed that this girl was about his age.

Justin had sandy hair and long gangly limbs, like he was only halfway through puberty. The girl was shorter and her hair was a bit darker, but she and Justin had the same turquoise eyes. She wasn't the type of drop-dead gorgeous girl that made a whole room turn her way, but she was prettier than average without putting on a drop of makeup.

"Hey, Darry. This is Justin; I was tellin' you about him."

"What's up?"

Darry nodded in Justin's direction.

"And this," Sodapop continued, "Is Amanda."

Amanda came over and shook his hand. "Hi. I'm Justin's sister. You can call me Mandy."

Darry nodded once more. "Nice to meet you, Mandy."

Mandy raised an eyebrow. "Well, well. Are all Curtises this polite?" By this Darry gathered that Sodapop had also greeted her graciously.

"We try to be." he answered.

Mandy smiled. "Well, maybe I'll see you again some time."

"Maybe." _I sure hope so..._

She let go of his hand and walked to the front of the store.

"Ready to go, Darry?" Sodapop's question broke his gaze.

"Yeah, let's go."

"See you later, Justin!"

"Bye, Soda."

Steve had already left when they got back to the parking lot. Darry started up their old truck and backed out of the parking lot.

"Hey, Soda?" he said when they were halfway home.

"Yeah?"

"How old is Justin's sister?"

"Uh, I think he said she just turned twenty. Why?"

"No reason."

**Review please! I don't own the Outsiders.**

**Sorry it was so short... and it doesn't really have Sophia in it... ^^'**


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